EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE (GEOL 3923H)
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THIS COURSE
This course is an outgrowth of my personal interests in a broad spectrum of Earth processes. I feel fortunate that many of these interests are the domain of the emerging scientific discipline of Earth Systems Science. Correctly or incorrectly described as the "Science of Everything", Earth Systems Science is an interdisciplinary endeavor where the traditional boundaries of the Natural Sciences are blurred by the realization of the interconnectedness of Earth's various systems (Lithosphere, Hydrosphere, Atmosphere, Cryosphere, Biosphere).
Earth Systems Science is evolving rapidly, a process which, as a scientist, I find intriguing, challenging, exciting and daunting.
Intriguing because I feel that I am part of a new scientific revolution where the traditional boundaries of thought are going to be replaced with new paradigms.
Challenging because the pace of change in all scientific disciplines seems so rapid that it is difficult for my mind to continually assimilate the new knowledge that appears daily; not only do we need to keep up with the scientific knowledge, but we also need to keep up with the technological advances which shape our world view.
Exciting because I see human civilization on the threshold of a new millennium, the 21st century, which we have anticipated for most of the present century! There is reason for both optimism and despair at the Gateway to our collective future. Neither the pathways to that future nor their outcomes are assured; decisions made today will be history tomorrow and I wonder how the perspective of history will treat this time.
Daunting because there seems so much to learn and so little time to learn it. One is easily overwhelmed when presented with the challenges to our future. But this is not different from life in any other time.
Earth Systems Science has come a long way in a short time. Already, there are several academic programs in Earth Systems Science in the United States (visit the Department of Earth System Science at the UC Irvine, the Earth System Science Center at Pennsylvania State University, the Institute for Computational Earth System Science at UC Santa Barbara) and numerous (and increasing) Earth System Science course offerings.
This course is being presented at the University of Arkansas for the first time. It is an experiment. I began experimenting with web-based learning materials in 1997. In conceiving this course, I wanted to include some web-based materials (especially data sets) to illustrate pertinent aspects of Earth Systems Science to students. As I began assembling these materials, it became apparent to me that it might be possible to compile an entire college-level course from resources available across the Internet and WWW. The assembled links and resources contained on these pages represent the initial product of my searches. It is by no means a final product, as I expect the course to evolve as Earth Systems evolve.
Purists will likely complain that some of the topic areas for this course are not the "traditional" topics of Earth Systems Science. But they are topics of interest to me. And in view of the fact that I have endeavored to create a non-traditional course, perhaps the purists will forgive me for including a few non-traditional topics!
This course appears at the University of Arkansas at an appropriate time as the Department of Anthropology, Department of Geography and Department of Geology have just received final approval from the University of Arkansas Board of Trustees for a new doctoral program in Environmental Dynamics. While this program will focus on the human dimensions of global environmental change, its philosophical roots are in Earth System Science.
Finally, I must acknowledge all those individuals, organizations and government agencies whose conscientious efforts to publish material on the World-Wide Web have resulted in this course. Obviously, I could not have done it were it not for their collective brain power and energy! To those who share my vision of the Internet and Cyberspace, I wish to extend my sincerest thanks for the work they have done and for allowing me to "link up" with their sites for this course.
So, without any further ado, and for better or worse, this is my offering!